Door-fastening



UNTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LE\VIS G. HOFFMAN, OF 'ATERFORD, NE/V YORK.

DOOR-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent No.- 26,185, dated. November 22, 1859.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, Lnwis G. HOFFMAN, o

following specifications and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation referring'to the drawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

Figure l, is a plan or top view of my improved button. Fig. 2, is a side elevation; and Fig. 3, is a plan of the back side.

Most of the door buttons heretofore in common use, are made of a bar of wood or metal, with a hole in the middle by which they were fastened to the door frame with nails or screws; but sometimes they have been fastened to a plate of metal, so as to turn freely on it, and the plate of metal has been fastened to the door frame by nails or screws. These buttons are inconvenient fastenings, as it requires two Inotions to open or close a. door; that is the button must first be turned to release the door, and then it must be pulled open by a knob or otherwise, so that ordinarily, one hand turns the button and the other pulls open, or closes the door; or if one hand is occupied in carrying or holding some article, the other turns the button, and then seizes the knob to pull open the door, thus the hand is required first to seize the button and turn it, then seize the knob on the door, and pull it open; but with my improved button it is only necessary to seize the knob and turn it to release the button and pull the door open, by the same knob as will be hereafter described. Besides doors are frequently surrounded by a projecting casing or molding, so near the edge of the frame that the old fashioned buttons cannot be applied without cutting an unsightly recess in the casing, or applying an equally unsightly piece to the door, so that such buttons could not be used to advantage on such door casings. There is another kind of button which has been used to some eX- tent, consisting of a knob with a shank eX- tending through the door, with a button fastened to the shank on the opposite side of the door from the knob, so that when the door is closed the button is turned into a recess or mortise in the door casing by turning the knob. This kind of button has been comparatively but little used, as itv requires a hole to be made in the door, and a lnortise or recess in the casing, so that it requires considerable labor to apply it, and the shank if frequently turned soon wears a large hole in the door, so as to require repairing.

The design and object of my invention and improvements, is to make a good, cheap and far better button, than has been made heretofore, which is turned by the same knob, that is used to pull the door open, so that the hand does not have to be changed from the button to the knob, to open the door; neither does it require a hole through the door where it is applied, as both the button and catch may be screwed or nailed directly upon the door, and casing, without either cutting a mortise or recess in the casing; besides it is so constructed as to suit both right and left hand doors equally alike.

Therefore thenature of my invention consists in a metal plate or case made circular or in some other form with a recess on one side for the button to turn in which button is fastened to the shank of a knob arranged on the opposite side of the case so as to turn the button and pull the door open with one and the same knob. The case or plate being made in two parts one to hold the button and knob which is fastened to the door; and the other to form the catch or keeper, which is fastened to the door frame by screws or nails.

In the accompanying drawings A, is a metal case provided with three holes B, B, for the screws to fasten it to the door. This case A, is made with a recess on the under side shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, for the button C, to turn in when it is operated by the shank of the knob D, which shank turns freely in the case A, and has the button C fastened to it so as to be turned by the knob.

A', is the catch or it may be considered as forming` part of the case. It is provided with two holes for the screws to fasten it to the door frame, and it has a recess under the side next to the case A, for the end of the button C, to turn under, to fasten the door to which it is applied when closed. There is a pin E, in the recess of the catch A', to stop the button when it has been turned far enough to fasten the door, and to prevent it from being turned around out of the catch.

`or left hand doors.

The several parts of this button may be made very cheaply .of cast iron and then made malleable by the common or usual process, or all the parts except the knob may be swaged and punched from sheet metal very cheap and with great facility with proper tools.

I believe I have described and represented my improved button, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use it. 20

I will now state what I desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I claim- The above described button as a new article of manufacture.

LEWIS Gr. HOFFMAN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS KELLEY, JOI-1N A. WALDRON. 

